Coastal holds off Campbell 70-67

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BUIES CREEK, N.C. – Shivaughn Wiggins scored a season-high 22 points and Coastal Carolina held off Campbell 70-67 in Big South Conference action Monday night at Gore Arena.

For the second-straight year, the Camels had a chance to tie the game in the final possession against the defending Big South champs, but Andrew Ryan's 3-pointer from the right wing bounced off in the final seconds.

Josh Cameron added 16 points and Warren Gillis 15 for the Chanticleers (14-3, 5-0), who won their sixth-straight game. Coastal shot 62.5 percent from the floor in the second half (15-24) and finished with a 32-20 edge in points in the paint.

Kyre' Hamer tied his career high with 16 points and dealt five assists for the Camels (7-10, 1-3), who lost their third-straight, all by seven or fewer points. D.J. Mason added 16 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists, while Reco McCarter scored 10 for Campbell, which hit 12-of-38 threes (.364), tying a school record for triples attempted.

Campbell led 33-27 at the half and 36-29 after Mason hit the first of two free throws with 18:00 remaining. Gillis' trey started a 9-0 Coastal spurt and the Chants took a 38-36 edge on Elijah Wilson's breakaway slam.

McCarter's bucket with 10:38 to go gave the Camels a 50-47 edge, but Cameron knocked down a triple just 22 seconds later. After Ryan's three knotted the score at 58 with 5:06 to go, Gillis' steal and bucket gave Coastal a lead it did not relinquish. Gillis' basket with 55 seconds to play provided the team's largest lead of the night, but Mason answered with a trey.

After Hamer's putback with 14.4 seconds cut the gap to 70-67, Elijah Wilson missed the front end of a one-and-one with 9.6 to go. Reco McCarter rebounded and the Camels set up Ryan – who stands seventh on the school's all-time 3-pointers made list – but the fifth-year senior's effort came up just short and the league-leading Chants escaped with their second 3-point win at Gore Arena in as many seasons.

Last year, McCarter's 3 in the final possession also bounced off to preserve a 61-58 win for the eventual Big South champs in Buies Creek.

"I thought we played really well," said Campbell head coach Kevin McGeehan of his team that finished with a 35-32 edge on the boards. "We knew coming in that Coastal was going to be very physical and that rebounding was going to be key. We won the rebounding battle, had just eight turnovers, but came up just one basket short. We showed poise against a lot of different defensive looks. We're continuing to grow."

The Camels shot 36.4 percent (24-66) overall and made 7-of-8 from the line (.875). Coastal finished 24-of-45 from the field (.533), 6-of-12 from 3-point distance and made 16-of-21 (.762) from the stripe.

Campbell rode a 13-2 run midway through the first half and built a 26-12 lead on Mason's lay-in with 5:19 to play. Rod Days, McCarter and Hamer knocked down triples in the burst. However, Wiggins scored 8 points in a 10-0 Coastal burst as the Chants closed to 26-22.

The Camels hit 7-of-18 beyond the arc in the first period and led 33-27 at the break as Coastal hit just 9-of-21 shots overall (.429).

Campbell continues its three-game home stand Thursday with a 7:00 p.m. start against Radford. CU also hosts UNC Asheville Saturday at 4:00 p.m.

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